Injection valve array
AssigneeSymyx Technologies, Inc.
InventorsH. Sam Bergh, Daniel M. Pinkas, Frank Doffing, Michael Klaus, Friedhelm Schoenfeld
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A novel gas injection valve for injecting discrete charges of gas into a mobile phase or carrier stream is provided. Injection valves of the invention comprise a plurality of microvalves capable of receiving gas at different pressures and emitting discrete charges of gas at approximately the same pressure. The invention further provides for parallel injection valve arrays capable of injecting multiple samples substantially simultaneously and a method of injecting discrete gas samples at a controlled pressure to a high-resolution gas chromatograph.
Claims4
A microvalve assembly for use in receiving gas at different pressures and emitting discrete charges of gas at approximately the same pressure, the microvalve assembly comprising:
- a valve body having a gas inlet passage adapted for connection to a line for receiving gas at different pressures, a gas outlet passage, a gas charge loop and a pressure control port;
- a first microvalve associated with the valve body adapted to admit gas passing into the gas inlet passage into the gas charge loop in a first position of the valve and to block entry of gas from the gas inlet passage into the gas charge loop in a second position;
- a second microvalve associated with the valve body adapted to open the gas charge loop to the pressure control port for reducing the pressure of gas in the gas charge loop in a first position and to block the gas charge loop from the pressure control port in a second position;
- a third microvalve associated with the valve body adapted to open the gas charge loop to the gas outlet passage for emitting the discrete charge of gas from the gas loop from the valve body in a first position and to block the gas charge loop from the gas outlet passage in a second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.